Shared Memories
Aaron Graham (10/20/2018)
Mayara wrote this note to her Mommy at Camp Healing Heart today.
Aaron Graham (08/16/2018)
Benjamin wrote this for class.
Aaron Graham (08/16/2018)
Found at the Orchard
Aaron Graham (08/05/2018)
It's funny how the mundane can bring so much joy. I really enjoyed the simple, regular exercise of going to Meijer to shop together as a family, even with the moments of inevitable bickering that would occur between the kids over where one got to ride on the shopping cart.
The weirdest things can trigger poignant memories of you. Like turkey bacon. I remember how you wanted to eat healthier, and yet still enjoy bacon, and so the turkey kind was your solution, which we ended up liking quite a bit. And someone mentioned it to me the other day, and that brought to mind how you said Meijer had the best prices for it generally -- an odd moment of closeness brought about in just remembering something you valued, what you "would've said" ...
Aaron Graham (08/03/2018)
A year has passed now without you, Love, and I live each day without you by my side, trying hard not to think about how our three precious littles will grow up as kids who lost their beautiful, vivacious, gentle, caring mommy.
I want to use your site that your cousins have set-up to tell them who you were, and how it felt to be loved so fully by you, how you were an incredible student, business woman, wife, homemaker, mother, aunt, and daughter. Your faith and values went down to the core of your being. Your heart was for unity and togetherness, and your highest wish was to simply be a stay-at-home mom. I regret not valuing that enough to have you make that leap.
You brought so much joy.
We revisit the places we made memories as a family with you, and it is a bittersweet nostalgia, overwhelming that those times are so abruptly gone, and will never be made with you again. So thankful you insisted on all those trips. So disappointed I didn't take into account their brevity.
Benjamin and I walked in Meadowbrook Park tonight, thinking of all the countless evenings we did that with you, back when we were whole.
We did life together, learned parenting together, were perfectly imperfect, together.
What is life after life like for you now? I struggle even to comprehend.
Aaron Graham (03/03/2018)
I took the two oldest to Mommy's gravesite this afternoon and we placed flowers for her there.
Sharon Bingham (07/15/2018)
Oh Sarah, it is your 32nd birthday! Your sweet Mom baked you a birthday cake in honor of you and your special day! Mayara was excited about that! She misses you so very much, as well as Aaron, Ben, little Ava, your Mom and Dad, Stephen, Chris, and your extended family. We all have a deep abiding love for you! Your Mom put together a scrapbook for you, and she and your Dad invited your precious children, Aaron, Chris, and your friends to join them in honoring your special day. We are all deeply saddened that you are not here with us. We have much hope in knowing that you are in heaven with our Jesus and we will see you again! God created you so sweetly. You had amazing parents who gave you so much love and Christian guidance that helped you grow into a very lovely, beautiful, Godly woman. Even though you were only on this earth for 30 years, you touched so many lives and left a legacy of love. Your sweet spirit filled the room with much love, kindness, caring, gentleness, peace and compassion. Even your voice was so sweet and angelic. You had a good and giving servant’s heart like Jesus. I am certain that when you reached Heaven’s gates and God saw you, He lovingly embraced you and said, “You have been a good and kind and loving, faithful servant, and I am so well pleased with you, Sarah.” Life is so short, and yours inspired me to be a better person, to show more kindness and love and reach out to people in need. Most importantly, I want to be a bright and shining light for Jesus so that I can make a special difference for His kingdom in this life He has given me. Sarah, you are still very loved and appreciated! I hope that somehow you know that. I love you very much.
Your Aunt, Sharon Bingham
Autumn Joy (08/30/2017)
Sarah was the gift buyer who I only met just last year at Curtis Orchard. She was so sweet and nice to work with. She had her youngest child just before we met the last time so she had a lot of work before the opening. She was busy yet she was happy.
The kids will all turn into lovely adults and they should know how much they made her proud.
Kathy Chwee (08/26/2017)
I never knew Sarah, but I just received my fall issue of the Farm Bureau Partners magazine and read the caption beneath the beautiful photo of Sarah holding Ava in the apple orchard. My parents, who also had an Illinois direct farm market apple orchard, knew Sarah's in-laws. I will keep Sarah's family and friends in my prayers, especially her parents, husband and children. I will be a better Christian because I have read the testimonies of those who knew and loved Sarah. We can all hope to be the Christ light in this world and to be happy with Sarah, our loved ones and with Jesus in the next, our eternal heavenly home. Thank you for including the photo in Partners and for sharing your Sarah.
Diana Lynne Price (07/29/2017)
My sweet niece, Sarah Lynne, embodied the Fruits of the Spirit as is written in Galatians 5:22-23, "The Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." Sarah's character was always constant and her life truly displayed these awesome qualities with her family, friends, and with strangers. What an absolute joy she was to me!
Rachel Coventry (07/20/2017)
I miss the little moments with Sarah. We often prepared our lunches together in the cafe and although these conversations were often brief they spoke volumes to me about Sarah. She would always take time to listen and it didn't matter if she was feeling stressed in other areas you could count on Sarah for empathy, wisdom, and advice.
Watching her as a mother made me also look forward to motherhood. I marveled at her patience and calmness when one of them nagged her for the hundredth time or another was screaming their lungs out. It was not easy bringing your kids to work and I know just how difficult this is now. We so enjoyed our motherhood journey--planning birthday parties, dinner parties, date nights, and play dates.
Sarah taught my girls "Row Row Row Your Boat" and I sing it to them in remembrance of Sarah.
Brian Klein (07/17/2017)
I've had the privilege of knowing Sarah for more than 10 years, a span of time that has provided me with countless good memories. But the one that keeps coming to mind is the last time I saw her. Aaron, Sarah, Ben, Mayara, and Ava had come to Bloomington on a Saturday afternoon. I was able to meet them for lunch. We followed lunch with ice cream.
The afternoon served as another reminder of what a wonderful mother Sarah was. That day, she asked me questions about my studies, about what I was learning in my school psychology graduate program. She was interested in what I was learning, but she was also interested in how it related to her own children. As a mother of three, she knew immeasurably more than I did about child development. It would have been more beneficial if I had been asking the questions. Yet with her signature combination of grace and humility, she made me feel as if I was the expert. As if I had something of value to say.
Anyone could see that Sarah was a great mother. Every time I saw her with her children, she was warm, loving, and patient. (She was also appropriately stern when she needed to be.) Despite this expertise, she was striving for more. She asked me questions about academic and social development. About what would be best for her children. She wanted to be an even better mother than she already was--if that were possible. I thought later that if all mothers had Sarah's qualities, there would be little need for someone like me in the schools.
Chris Curtis (07/15/2017)
A few years ago, my niece Julie had us all participate in something she found interesting – the Myers-Briggs personality tests. As it turns out, Sarah has what is called the INFJ personality – something only 1% of the population supposedly has. But we didn’t need the Myers-Briggs test to already know what a unique individual she was. Besides being loving, patient & selfless woman, Sarah somehow always kept it together. That’s just who she was. She was always aware how other people felt and had a compassion & empathy for others that is rare.
In fact, let's remember what a kind & caring person Sarah was by doing things she would have done - showing a little more patience with one another, doing something helpful without being asked, spending quality time with a family member. These were daily habits for Sarah, who lived out her Christian faith as well as anyone I've known. The way Sarah lived taught me, and continues to teach me, what it’s like to live a Christian life.
Karen & Steve Sedlock: thanks for raising such a God-fearing daughter who embodied every fruit of the Spirit described in Galatians. To my nephew Aaron: thank you for asking Sarah to marry you; that decision brought such a thoughtful & considerate person into our lives. To Ben, Mayara, and Ava: even though God has decided your mother needs to be where she is now, you are blessed with the most wonderful legacy of a loving Mom who wants the best for you. You will always have a part of her inside you. And to God the creator: thank you for granting us time with Sarah. Help us deal with this hole in our hearts, and give us strength to carry on. May we all carry a part of Sarah with us for the rest of our lives here on Earth.
Jen Young (07/14/2017)
I'm thankful for every encounter I've had with Sarah. Having kids the same age, we often chatted about schedules, school, motherhood- and what we were learning! Sarah was always so kind, genuine, and compassionate. She absolutely loved her role as a mom. She cared so deeply for each one of her kids and truly cherished each moment. Many of our heart-to-heart conversations were at school functions or in a parking lot, but I learned a lot about Sarah's heart for the Lord and her desire to trust and follow Him through those encounters. Sarah was a servant leader - full of humility and grace and had a gift for organizing and serving. I took this picture of Sarah serving at Ben's first grade Valentines Party this year. Her smile is contagious!
Linda Fendley (07/13/2017)
Sarah was such a beautiful bride and wife. She beamed with love and joy. I mostly knew her through Aaron as our boys (Stephen & David) grew up with Aaron. The times I saw Sarah, she was an example of joy. You could tell she loved being a mother. She loved her family and children...and friends. She loved creating things that would bring smiles and joy to others. She was a lovely, Godly example of the Psalm 31 Woman. Linda & Denny Fendley
Audra Wilson (07/13/2017)
I had the privlege of serving in the nursery with Sarah for many months at our church. She was always full of life and peace. Her smile was contagious. We shared conversations about family, faith, work and life. She was always eager to ask questions and get to know others around her. Truly taking interest in their life and family. I remember her sharing a time after their family's trip to Disneyworld and how they were back and forth on whether or not they would go. After the trip she shared how glad she was that they decided to go and loved the memories they made there.
Her servant heart has impacted me. I hope to be a giving loving person like she was.
Rebecca Sue Thompson (07/13/2017)
Ralph and I had the opportunity to meet Aaron and Sarah at Burt Lake, Michigan, a place many in the family have enjoyed over the years. I think we were going out for dinner, offered Aaron and Sarah a ride, and spent the next bit of time talking together. We later remembered how easily we all shared together, the fun we had, and our desire (which we had earlier expressed to them) to get together again. Becky and Ralph Thompson
Olya Pavlova (Danilova) (07/12/2017)
I met Sarah a long time ago since she started dating with Aaron, and I am very happy that I was able to be a part of their wedding. Sarah was a beautiful bride. I visited Aaron’s parents every summer for many years and I was able to see Sarah once in awhile, we celebrated a few our birthdays together at Aaron's parents house. Every time I was able to see her she welcomes you with a beautiful smile on her face, she was very sweet, loving and kind. In 2012 I was able to meet their first two wonderful kids: Ben and Maymay. And last autumn I met their third child: little sweet Ava. And sadly last autumn it was my last time when I saw Sarah. I will always remember her as a loving, sweet and caring mother, wife and a friend.
Jacque McElroy (07/11/2017)
Sarah and I were together at a Judah preschool event, she was there with Ben and I was there with my grandson Jackson. It was a joy to watch her with Ben, they had so much fun doing activities together. She was always smiling, hugging on him and I could tell she just loved spending that time with him. No matter where I saw Sarah she always had that sweet smile, always was loving on her children and always had such a gentle spirit. I pray her children, Aaron, and her family all know how very much she loved them! And I know she knew how much she was loved.
Maggie Wachter (07/10/2017)
I first met Sarah three years ago when Rachel and I started beekeeping together. Children were never far away from Sarah. She managed to combine work and motherhood while always looking beautiful. Her quiet glow was part of the Farm and I will miss her.
Kim (07/09/2017)
I often passed Sarah and her children at church. Church time always seems to be busy time for parents of young children. You usually see quite a few moms almost dragging children along... But Sarah never seemed to be in a rush. Every time I saw her, she had a quiet peace about her. Every word I heard her speak to her children was full of love, gentle, and kind. She inspires me to be that kind of mother to my little ones.
Minister Betty Ruth Manney (07/08/2017)
No matter how many times I saw Sarah, either at the Orchard or at Church she always had a beautiful smile and gentle spirit. I will always remember the light of Christ that shone from her eyes.